1200ft away, so far enough, shooter may not know anyone was there, but why shoot in to the air at an angle where the bullet would travel so far. Why not 30ft in to the ground in front of him? Sounds irresponsible to me.

1. ALWAYS keep the gun pointed in a safe direction.This is the primary rule of gun safety. A safe direction means that the gun is pointed so that even if it were to go off it would not cause injury or damage. The key to this rule is to control where the muzzle or front end of the barrel is pointed at all times. Common sense dictates the safest direction, depending on different circumstances.

2. ALWAYS keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot.When holding a gun, rest your finger on the trigger guard or along the side of the gun. Until you are actually ready to fire, do not touch the trigger.

3. ALWAYS keep the gun unloaded until ready to use.Whenever you pick up a gun, immediately engage the safety device if possible, and, if the gun has a magazine, remove it before opening the action and looking into the chamber(s) which should be clear of ammunition. If you do not know how to open the action or inspect the chamber(s), leave the gun alone and get help from someone who does.

I think it's the responsibility of the people not shooting the gun to stay the hell out of the way. People are always comparing automobiles to guns, yet when somebody gets run over, we blame the person for running in the road, not the driver. Why does it seem like we're always looking at personal responsibility in a mirror - backwards?

colinspooky:1200ft away, so far enough, shooter may not know anyone was there, but why shoot in to the air at an angle where the bullet would travel so far. Why not 30ft in to the ground in front of him? Sounds irresponsible to me.

This is why people who say "you should fire a warning shot into the air" should be slapped silly.

colinspooky:1200ft away, so far enough, shooter may not know anyone was there, but why shoot in to the air at an angle where the bullet would travel so far. Why not 30ft in to the ground in front of him? Sounds irresponsible to me.

Yes, this is perplexing. I mean, as a Canadian, the police not charging him seems like a strictly American thing. Anywhere else on earth and the shooter would've had to bribe the cops, like a sensible person.

Crazy is right. Firing a gun in a populated area is pretty crazy. Doing so in lieu of simple removing the magazine and clearing the chamber is just retarded.

Dude should be charged, have his guns confiscated, and be banned from owning firearms in the future. You can get convicted of felony possession and banned from owning firearms though a gun had nothing to do your felony... this guy should get at least the same treatment for shooting a kid.

However unintentional, shooting someone that isn't actively harming or threatening you or someone in your charge, or outside of a moment when you're attempting to stop someone who is harming you should result in charges for just about any adult, at least to the point that you aren't allowed to own small arms anymore, as you've just demonstrated an inability to make good decisions with those weapons.

Bennie Crabtree:colinspooky: 1200ft away, so far enough, shooter may not know anyone was there, but why shoot in to the air at an angle where the bullet would travel so far. Why not 30ft in to the ground in front of him? Sounds irresponsible to me.

Yes, this is perplexing. I mean, as a Canadian, the police not charging him seems like a strictly American thing. Anywhere else on earth and the shooter would've had to bribe the cops, like a sensible person.

As a Canadian, I would like to add that shooting a gun from your front porch seems farking hillbillies to me...